10.Iron Man 3
I have been a huge follower of Marvel's comic book canon since the first Spider-Man movie, particularly their Avengers line-up, and it's always good to see that, even after the hype behind The Avengers has died down, they're still holding up on delivering strong comic book entertainment, even if Thor's last venture, as well as Wolverine's, were nothing more than decent action flicks. In Iron Man 3, not only are we given an excellent mystery thriller plot that delivers plenty of surprises, including one behind the mischievous Mandarin you may have heard of (which, yes, is just as brilliant as you have heard); not only do we get Shane Black's excellent ability to render exhilarating action scenes at a major blockbuster level; but in this, the third in a franchise that has easily the most fleshed-out, well-developed central character in the Avengers line-up, Tony Stark's development finally feels complete. The main theme of the movie is how an extravagant idea can easily transform into something treacherous, but while Tony constantly remains on the edge on whether or not he will do something dangerous that will cost him the love of his life, what he realizes in the end is that what separates him from the bad guys, and what brings him out on top no matter how many drastic mistakes he makes, isn't his suits or even his power; it's his belief and his constant efforts to do the right thing. Throw in impressive performances from a star-studded cast, a riveting score from Brian Tyler, and easily the best title sequence of the year, and you have yourself a rip-roaring fun time at the movies (particularly in IMAX).
9.Man of Steel
Didn't I give you a heads up about this earlier? Make no mistake, folks; I admire Nolan's efforts to re-invent the Superman franchise. Incidentally, this movie did make me realize a major problem not only with many interpretations of Superman, but also a major problem with a lot of comic book movies in general; they tend to focus solely on either the negative or the positive aspects of every situation, depending on how the director wanted to portray the story. Man of Steel acknowledges that there's a light and dark side to every situation. Take the infamous scene where Clark Kent saves kids from drowning on a bus sinking into a river for instance; if Clark had let the kids on the bus die, many lives would have been lost, but he would have prevented the world from falling into fear of his surreal side, but because he saved the kids on the bus, he exposed himself and therefore sent many people into fear of him. So, should he have let them die? "Maybe." Scenarios like this that the hero is constantly thrown into and constantly forced to make impulsive choices constantly sends him into turmoil, but what he realizes in the end is that, regardless of the negative repercussions, all that matters is what gets the job done. But it's not just Clark/Superman/Kal-El that discusses these scenarios. Characters like Jor-El (Kal-El's father), Johnathan Kent, and especially the partially relatable villain, General Zod, all share conflicting perspectives that help bring the film closer to real life than any other film in the franchise. The cast does a brilliant job bringing these characters to life, particularly Henry Cavill as the famed hero, while the script constantly attempts to do new things with its characters, such as Lois Lane blurring the line between a damsel in distress and an active character, constantly trying to help our hero, but also acknowledging that she needs help every once in a while. Toss in an outstanding production design, an astonishing reinvention of the Kryptonian culture, and Hans Zimmer's breathtaking score, and Man of Steel comes out as one of the more groundbreaking comic book movies of the past few years, let alone of 2013.
8.The Conjuring
This is undoubtedly the only movie on this list I won't be owning on DVD. Oh, don't get me wrong, The Conjuring does its job well, but that's part of why I never wish to look back at it. It's so terrifying that I literally do not want to even glance at it ever again. What's funny is that, even though I'm sort of in favor of the Saw movies, I didn't expect this level of terror from director James Wan, but he did an excellent job here. The main reason it works so well is because it develops its scares; lets it crawl up the viewer's spine; rather than just throwing in random jump scares. Its chilling atmosphere and slow pace help the viewer to constantly wonder what will happen next. It utilizes sound editing techniques and wide long shots that would probably send plumbers back home in a jiffy. What else needs to be said? The Conjuring got its job done, albeit perhaps too well.
7.American Hustle
Just a heads up in case the review I posted about two months ago wasn't enough of an indication: The Wolf of Wall Street will NOT be appearing on this list. Yeah, I'm on THAT side of the conflict. American Hustle holds many of the same merits that Wolf held; its performances are confident and often times charismatic, its humor and dialogue are very witty, and it generally leaves no stone unturned. However, whereas Wolf mostly felt bloated and padded out, American Hustle held the advantage of maintaining a plot that relied much more on scandals that held many surprises as well as some stellar character developments. At first, many of these scandals felt breathtaking to these characters, like they were on top of the world and nothing could stop them. However, as the plot went along, they start to gain a sense of attachment to one another, which made the challenges they faced seem much more dangerous and uncomfortable. Character developments like this are one of many reasons I still see movies; seeing how exactly characters would react to such high stakes and tight situations. David O. Russell does an excellent job, as he also pulled off with last year's Silver Linings Playbook, in balancing out said drama with very witty comedy. Throw in some curiously stellar soundtrack choices and an ending that felt pitch-perfect, and the end result is a riveting scandal flick that doesn't need midget dartboarding to get its job done (although, that may have taken it up a few places on the list).
6.Oz the Great and Powerful
The first official 2013 release that I managed to catch in theaters, and it turned out far better than I was expecting it to be. Oz the Great and Powerful may very well be the first live-action film to truly capture Disney's enchanting, fantastic atmosphere since Mary Poppins. The main reason it works so well is due to how the movie handles and fully develops its characters. The protagonist, Oz, is a scam artist, but not because he wants to con people for their money or anything, but rather because he wants them to believe that he is a great and powerful man. What he realizes during his venture into the mystical land of Oz is that what makes a great man isn't how much power he holds or whether he has the ability to perform fantastic antics, but rather just how willing he is to do the right thing. As the film puts it, an attempt for goodness overcomes an attempt for greatness. Alongside that, we also get an astonishing revelation behind the Wicked Witch, which, while many have dismissed it as missing the point of the character, feels fully developed and in place in my book. Another reason behind its success, however, is also how seamlessly it brings the artificial nature of the land of Oz to the modern blockbuster era, and no director could have handled that any better than Sam Raimi. He keeps such an effective balance behind the inevitable goofiness that the environment would have to offer and the serious nature of exploring the theme and the characters. It's a trick he defined with his Spider-Man trilogy, and it works just as well here. In the end, Oz is a beautiful fantasy adventure, and easily the best live-action Disney flick in decades.
5.Frozen
Speaking of remarkable Disney films.... Here's another one! When the reviews for Frozen came pouring in, critics were raving about how it was easily a classic on par with films like Lion King or Beauty and the Beast, and I remember thinking that it would still just be another generic, over-modernized animated film, much like the animation team's last generic, over-modernized animated film, Tangled. And boy, did I eat my words on that one. Frozen is not only a great animated film in general, but it's a great Disney animated film, which is something I didn't think I would get to say in this modern era. On top of gorgeous animation, beautiful Broadway style songs, and a surprisingly impressive voice cast, the main reason why the film works so well is because of how fleshed out its characters are. The story follows two sisters who barely see each other because Elsa holds a mystical power to freeze whatever she unleashes her magic on, which she doesn't have a clear idea on how to control, thus why she dubs it as dangerous. When it's revealed what she can do, Elsa finally decides to unleash everything she's been holding back, resulting in easily one of Disney's best song sequences of all time. The only repercussion is that what she freezes won't be able to thaw. Her sister, Anna, however, believes that there is a warm side to her that can thaw the land. It's character relationships and conflicts like this that made Disney so excellent at storytelling from the beginning, and Frozen was a stellar return to form for them.
4.Pacific Rim
Many people have described Pacific Rim as a case of style over substance. For me, however, it was more of a case of style creating the substance, a trait that only a truly gifted director like Guillermo Del Toro could pull off. The film could just as easily have turned out to be another brainless exercise of blockbuster action, but instead, it takes many, many steps further, even revolutionizing the genre of action movies. Its action holds a physicality and an attention to detail that many other films tend to ignore. Del Toro actually took the time to consider the physical nature of every action taken by both the monsters and the robots, right down to where this body part would go if the robot punched right here or who would actually be the more powerful opponent. His attempt to visually tell his stories shines through here as well, as characters gain their developments through their actions as opposed to a long line of exposition. The film also holds a very strong theme about how, in combat, decisions are made more quickly and often times recklessly, even causing a few mishaps here and there, but still getting the job done. Make no mistake; Pacific Rim is easily one of the better blockbusters of our generation, as well as one of Del Toro's finest.
3.Mud
I may have missed Dallas Buyers Club, but that doesn't mean McConaughey can't get some appreciation this year. Mud was another huge surprise for me this year, as I'm not usually this fond of a story (or anything, for that matter) that takes place in a southern environment. However, that's part of what makes the film work; investment. It does a very effective job of getting the audience invested in the environment, mostly because it's told through the eyes of characters that understand it very well and, in a way, guide us through it. But it's not just the environment we're invested in. The film also does an effective job of getting us engrossed in its characters, establishing compelling drama for them to go through, conflicting perspectives, misinterpretations, and inevitable outcomes and choices. What's worse is that all of this is mostly happening to a kid who's just barely entering his teen years. WHY WOULD YOU KISS HIM IF YOU DIDN'T WANT TO BE HIS GIRLFRIEND?! IS A SIMPLE "NO" TOO HARD FOR YOU?! Ahem... Excuse me... You see what this film does to me? It's a coming-of-age story that manages to place the audience in the protagonist's shoes and understand his perspective of treacherous enlightenment, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I felt for him all the way through, which is just enough for me to place Mud at the #3 spot.
2.Her
This is the main reason why this list got delayed, and I'm glad that I prolonged it just to check this out. Her is another one of those films based mostly around investment, though this time, it's more about an issue that's not only risky to tackle, but also very difficult to get across effectively. It attempts to explore the importance of human relationships and the pursuit of happiness in life. Our protagonist, Theodore, falls in love with a computer, with the ability to learn, adapt, and evolve, but not quite emote the same way humans do. His operating system, Samantha, is programmed to adjust to his liking, which basically sends the challenge of trying to share a life with another individual that was already living her life just as he was out the window. At first, this seems convenient, but after his ex-wife calls him out for being pathetic for that reason, he starts to consider just what he might be capable of, which ultimately creates his first conflict with Samantha. What he realizes is that, in the long run, he's going to run into conflicts no matter where he goes or what he does, but the important thing to remember to do is to cherish the happy segments of life we do receive. Her is certainly an ambitious project, and it remembers to take advantage of every enlightening, provocative step it can possibly take with its premise, raising it to the #2 spot on this list.
And my #1 favorite movie of the year, in case the list on the left of my all-time favorite movies didn't already give it away, is.....
1.12 Years a Slave
Lord Almighty, I could not describe the awe I experienced when walking out of this flick. 12 Years a Slave represents an era that defines itself in emotion, particularly terror, sorrow, and hatred, and it could not have been any more effectively presented than it was here. Everything from the performances to the visual style to just the scenarios themselves effectively portrayed the fear and treachery that slaves had to go through during the slave trade era. Part of what makes the investment element of the story work, however, is that the story being presented involves a man who was freed but then sold off as a slave, which allows the audience to relate to suddenly getting thrown from a life of convenience into slavery. Most of the emotion of the story, however, comes from the performances. Chiwetel Ejiofor effectively portrays the fear of his situation, but also his attempt at facing that fear and restraining himself from doing anything drastic. Meanwhile, actors like Paul Giamatti and Christopher Berry represent the charismatically careless and aggressive nature of slave traders, to a point where you just want to smack them..... with a chair. Biggest, and I mean BIGGEST, props, however, go to Michael Fassbender, who represents his character's villainous, sly, aggressive, power-hungry nature like never before. And with all this talk about characters and story, I should point out that this is all based on a true story, and whether or not this film is 100% accurate is beyond me, but in terms of what it was trying to get across, 12 Years a Slave fleshed out its emotion like never before, easily resulting in not only the best film of the year, but one of the best of all time.
Thanks for reading, and definitely stay tuned for more blogs in the future!
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